"Mel Gibson is in a town that’s run by Jews and he said the wrong thing because he’s actually bitten the hand that fed him," Oldman says in 'Playboy' interview.

Gary Oldman.
(photo credit:REUTERS)

British actor Gary Oldman, known for roles like Harry Potter's Sirius Black and spy George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, made waves in the media this week with his defense of Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic comments and an assertion that Hollywood has gone overboard with political correctness.

In an interview with Playboy published Monday, the seasoned actor railed against "the sheer hypocrisy of everyone," saying that "Mel Gibson is in a town that’s run by Jews and he said the wrong thing because he’s actually bitten the hand that I guess has fed him."

"But some Jewish guy in his office somewhere hasn’t turned and said, 'That f***ing kraut' or 'F*** those Germans,' whatever it is? We all hide and try to be so politically correct," he continued.

Oldman said people are too sensitive about statements considered to be politically incorrect.

"It’s like, take a f***ing joke. Get over it," he said.

Of Gibson's anti-Semitic comments that effectively made him an "outcast" and a "leper" in Hollywood, Oldman said, "He got drunk and said a few things, but we’ve all said those things. The policeman who arrested him has never used the word 'n*****' or 'that f***ing Jew?'"

In 2006 Mel Gibson claimed in a drunken rage that “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” among other choice remarks.

Oldman went on to say that some public figures, specifically comedians Bill Maher and Jon Stewart, are able to "hide behind comedy and satire to say things we can't ordinarily say, because it's all too politically correct."

"If I called Nancy Pelosi a c***—and I’ll go one better, a f***ing useless c***—I can’t really say that," Oldman said. "But Bill Maher and Jon Stewart can and nobody’s going to stop them from working because of it."

Oldman also defended Alec Baldwin's occasional outbursts, saying the "30 Rock" actor was "persecuted" after he was caught calling someone a "f**" in the street outside his building during a moment of frustration.

Oldman said double standards are "our culture now," claiming that "at the Oscars, if you didn’t vote for 12 Years a Slave you were a racist."